Ted Poe criticizes $750,000 Guantanamo Bay soccer field for detainees

Rep. Ted Poe said the $750,000 soccer field was an insult to victims of the terrorist prisoners. (Diana Carlton/Hearst Newspapers)

The U.S. government is putting finishing touches on a soccer field in Guantanamo Bay for prisoners, and several Republican congressmen are asking why American taxpayers are footing the $750,000 bill.

“These radicals should be doing hard time, not soccer time,” Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, told his fellow House members this week. “Our government has no business building this tropical Caribbean recreation facility for terrorists. It’s disrespectful and insulting to all who are victims of these killers.”

The 28,000 square foot soccer field at Gitmo includes a walking track, security cameras, a razor wire fence and special passages that allow prisoners to access the field without military escort, Fox News reported.

Rear Admiral David Woods, the commander who oversees the camps, said the recreation facility is part of an effort to provide safe conditions and socialization for detainees. Woods said outdoor recreation encourages good behavior, which in turn improves working conditions for the guards, Fox News reported.

At the Department of Defense House Budget hearing Wednesday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he was not familiar with the project, Fox News reported.

Detainees will be able to use the field for 20 hours a day. “What follows, a terrorist soccer league?” Poe asked.